The field of modular devices for testing fault origin and for interconnecting provider wiring and subscriber wiring has focused heretofore upon the connection of a single incoming telephone company (“telco”) line to a single subscriber line. As a result, the structure of such devices does not address the need for the modular device to accommodate additional electrical lines. With increased availability of and demand for multiple subscriber services over electrical lines arises the need for a modular device that can accommodate multiple lines. The present invention discloses a novel and improved modular device which allows for the connection of multiple lines from a provider of electrically-based services to multiple subscriber lines, and for the fault-based testing of the wiring connections.
More particularly, the invention relates to a novel and improved modular device for a telephone network interface apparatus of the types illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,797, entitled “Switchable Electrical Socket”, issued on Jan. 6, 1998 to Carl H. Meyerhoefer et al. inventors, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention; this patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference as if fully reproduced herein and this patent is referred to hereinafter as “the Meyerhoefer et al. patent”. As disclosed in detail in the Meyerhoefer et al. patent, a modular device provides a point of demarcation between the telco wiring and the subscriber wiring so that a subscriber can determine whether a fault exists in the telco equipment or the subscriber premises, and has tool-less wire termination mechanisms for terminating and unterminating the telco and subscriber wiring. The novel and improved modular device of the present invention provides these same functions as well as additional functions, but does so with a patentably distinct structure and in a novel and improved manner.
As taught in detail by the Meyerhoefer et al. patent, the modular device has an RJ-11 telephone socket connected to the telco wiring. At the bottom of the socket, conductors of a heavier gauge than the RJ-11 electrical contact connect the subscriber wiring to the telco wiring. As illustrated by FIGS. 14-16 of the Meyerhoefer et. al patent, when the plug of an operating telephone used for default determination is inserted into the telephone socket, the plug pushes the subscriber and telco conductors into a disconnected orientation. FIG. 11, which illustrates the wiring schematic of the modular device, discloses the presence of the subscriber and telco wires necessary for a telephone connection within the RJ-11 telephone socket. Furthermore, as illustrated by FIGS. 17 and 18, the heavier gauge of the connecting subscriber and telco conductors result in a connecting mechanism substantially thicker than the width of the RJ-11 electrical contact. Thus, the RJ-11 telephone socket lacks the requisite area to accommodate more conductors than those necessary to complete a phone connection.
Another type of modular device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,199 issued to Thomas G. Graham et al. on Mar. 22, 1994. The Graham et al. patent discloses a modular device having a telephone jack insert block connected to both the subscriber wiring and the incoming telco wiring. As illustrated in FIG. 6 of the Graham et al. patent, the subscriber wiring comprises two contacts within the telephone jack insert block and the telco wiring comprises two contacts within the telephone jack insert block. As further illustrated in FIG. 6, the four subscriber and telco contacts comprise all of contacts within the telephone jack insert block, with no space or allowance for additional contacts. As further illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5, and 9 of the Graham et al. patent, a pair of electrically conducting bridging members are affixed to the cover of the modular device. When the cover is in the closed orientation, the bridging members form a pair of series electrical connections between the telco and subscriber wiring. When the cover is opened, the series electrical connections are interrupted, leaving available the telephone socket for insertion of an RJ-11 telephone plug. Of the six grooves available in an RJ-11 plug for the placement of contact wires, the Graham et al. patent only utilizes two grooves for the purpose of fault determination of the telephone connection. The telephone jack insert block of the Graham et al. patent does not accommodate additional subscriber lines for connection to telco lines and the accompanying fault determination for additional lines.
Neither the Meyerhoefer et al. nor the Graham et al. patents disclose a modular device having separate connection and plug-actuated testing compartments, wherein the connection compartment can accommodate additional subscriber and telco lines and the separate testing compartment can accommodate additional associated telco contact wires for fault testing. The Meyerhoefer et al. and Graham et al. patents also do not disclose a connection mechanism whereby the subscriber contact wires and the telco contact wires are oriented in a manner to facilitate their physical connection through the engagement of a non-conducting arm member inserted within the connection compartment—thus, eliminating the cost, erosion and other disadvantages associated with an electrical conducting arm member.
Furthermore, neither the Meyerhoefer et al. nor the Graham et al. patents disclose telco contacts within a testing compartment spacially oriented and/or separated by insulating material in a manner to improve their dielectric strength. Indeed, because both the Meyerhoefer et al. and Graham et al. patents disclose a socket including both the subscriber wire and telco wire connection contacts as well as the telco wire testing contacts, the space within the socket is confined and cannot accommodate the advantages of additional subscriber/telco connection wires and the spacial separation required for improving the dielectric strength of the telco testing contacts.